CA2329651C

CA2329651C - Method and apparatus for joining supplementary products to printed products

Info

Publication number: CA2329651C
Application number: CA002329651A
Authority: CA
Inventors: Egon Hansch
Original assignee: Ferag AG
Current assignee: Ferag AG
Priority date: 1999-12-28
Filing date: 2000-12-27
Publication date: 2009-04-28
Anticipated expiration: 2020-12-27
Also published as: AU7174400A; EP1112861B1; US20010004918A1; AU773901B2; CA2329651A1; JP2001233313A; ATE257434T1; DK1112861T3; US6533016B2; EP1112861A1; ES2209748T3; DE50004978D1; RU2259936C2

Abstract

The apparatus, which serves to join flat supplementary products (2) provided with an adhesive (3) to printed products (9), has n holding elements (20 1, 20 2, ...., 20n) which are driven on a circulating path (B1) about a first axis (x), by means of which supplementary products (2) are gripped individually at at least one pick-up point (A1) and, after an appropriate rotation about the first axis (x), can be joined to a printed product (9) at a discharge point (A2). As they are transported from the pick-up point to the discharge point (A1; A2), the holding elements (20 1, 20 2, ...., 20n), which are mounted such that they can rotate about a second axis (y1; y2; ... . .; yn) running at least approximately parallel to the first axis (x), are rotated about the second axis (Y1; Y2; ... . . .; Y n) and guided into the area of the printed products (9), which are conveyed in a suspended manner and on a second path (B2) at least approximately tangentially to the circulating path (B1), after which, at the discharge point (A2), a printed product (9), opened if appropriate, is supported laterally by means of a leading or trailing holding element (20 1; 20 2) and, by means of the leading or trailing holding element (20 2; 20 1), is joined to a supplementary product (2) at an envisaged point.

Description

Method and apparatus for joining supplementary products to printed products The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for joining flat supplementary produr:ts provided with an adhesive to printed products.

A method and an apparatus of this type are disclosed by EP 0 675 062 B1.. This gives a description of a transport apparatus by means of which supplementary products, such as labels, goods samples or '"post-it''' products can be joined to printed products which are stored in a processing device.
For this purpose, the supplementary products, which are present in stacked form, are gripped individually by the transport device by means of transport clamps that are fixed to carrying arms and steering elements in such a way that they can be controlled, transported and discharged to printed products which, in the processing device, are collected in straddling form on stable wall elements driven in circulation or are inserted irito stable pick-up parts that are driven in circulation. At the time of transfer, the supplementary products are pressed by means of the transport clamps against the printed products held by the wall elements, and are joined to them. In order that supplementary products provided with adhesive can be joined correctly to printed products in this way, skilful control of the transport clamps is necessary. The processing dev:Lce which is needed in addition to the transport device has to be constructed in a stable manner and synchronized with the transport device. Within the processing flow of the printed products, two additional transfers also result between the processing device and transport devices by means of which printed products are fed to the processing device and removed from the latter again.

The present invention is therefore based on the object of providing a method and an apparatus for joining supplementary products to printed products which is constructed simply and permits the printed products to be delivered with a low outlay.

. .. .
In order to join the supplementary products to the printed products, the invention provides a number of holding elements that are driven on a circulating path about a first axis, by means of which supplementary products fed by a first conveyor or present on a stack are gripped individually at a pick-up point and, after an appropriate rotation about the first axis, are joined to printed products, which are transported in a suspended manner by a second conveyor, at a discharge point. For this purpose, a freely suspended printed product is supported by the apparatus according to the invention by means of a supporting element and, by means of a holding element arranged on the opposite side of the printed product to the supporting element, is joined to a supplementary product at an envisaged point.

The significant factor here is that the holding of the printed product when it is being joined to a supplementary product is not done by the conveyor provided to convey the printed products, nor by the processing device provided for the intermediate storage of the printed products, but by supporting elements, preferably holding elements, belonging to the apparatus according to the invention.

The apparatus according to the invention can therefore be used in existing conveying systems at points at which the printed products are transported in a freely suspended manner, wi_thout being intermediately stored in a processing device. The apparatus can therefore be used flexibly in existing or new systems without additional investments. The matching support needed for the application of the supplementary products is in this case provided by the supporting elements belonging to the apparatus according to the invention.

As opposed to the apparatus disclosed by EP 0 666 181 Al, by means of which the outer part of printed products transported in a suspended manner are provided with an adhesive on mutually opposite edges and thereby can be sealed off, the apparatus according to the invention perrnits supplementary products, for example product samples, to be fixed at any desired point outside or inside an opened printed product.

According to one broad aspect, there is provided a method of joining flat supplementary products provided w_Lth an adhesive to printed products, wherein supplementary products are gripped individually at at least one pick-up point by means of a number of holding elements which are driven on a circulating path around a first axis, and, after an appropriate rotation about the first axis, are joined to at least one of the printed products at a discharge point, wherein the individually gripped supplementary products, as they are transported from the at least one pick-up point to the discharge point, are guided into an area of the printed products, which are conveyed in a suspended manner and on a second path at least approximately tangentially to the circulating path, after which, at the discharge point, the at least one of the printed products, opened if appropriate, is supported on an appropriate side by means of a supporting element and, by mearis of at least one of the holding elements arranged ori an opposite side of the at least one of -3a-the printed products to the supporting element, is joined to at least one of the supplementary products at an envisaged point.

The invention will be explained in more detail below using exemplary embodiments and with reference to the drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows an apparatus according to the invention, by means of which supplementary products are joined to the trailing side of printed products, Fig. 2 shows the apparatus according to Fig. 1 during the joining of supplementary products to the lead:ing side of printed products, Fig. 3 shows the operation of discharging a supplementary product onto a printed product by means of a trailing holding element carrying the supplementary product and a leading holding element that is supporting the printed product and which has already discharged the supplementary product onto the leading printed product, Fig. 4 shows the apparatus according to Fig. 1 during the joining of supplementary products to the leading side of a trailing limb of an opened printed product, Fig. 5 shows the apparatus according to Fig. 1 during the joining of supplementary products to the trailing side of a leading limb of an opened printed product, and Fig. 6 shows the apparatus according to Figure 1 in a preferable configuration.

Fig. 1 shows an apparatus 10 according to the invention by means of which flat supplementary products 2 provided with an adhesive are accepted from a first conveyor 1 at. a pick-up point Al, transported along a first path Bl to a discharge point A2 and are there joined to the trailing side 92 of printed products 9, which are guided in a suspended manner along a second path B2 by a second conveyor 100.

The apparatus according to the invention has n holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20n which are driven on the first path Bl around a first axis x and by means of which the supplementary products 2 are gripped individually at the pick-up point Al, following appropriate rotation about the first axis x are guided into the area of the printed products 9 and are joined to a printed product 9m at the discharge point A2. For this purpose, the holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20n are mounted such that they can rotate about a second axis yi; y2; .... ;
yn running at least approximately parallel to the first axis x, so that the holding elements 201i 202r .... , 20n can be rotated into a position suitable to pick up and discharge the supplementary products 2 at the pick-up and discharge points Al, A2.

The holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20õ are preferably provided with. a suction head 201 (see e.g., Fig. 6), which at the pick-up point Al is aligned at least approximately parallel to the supplementary products 2 supplied and, at the discharge point A2 is aligned at least approximately parallel to the printed products 9.
If the holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20n are equipped with a gripper, a clamp or the like, their alignment at the pick-up and discharge points Al, A2 must be adapted accordingly.

At the pick-up point Al, the supplementary products 2 can be supplied by the first conveyor 1 or, as shown in EP 0 675 061 131, Fig. 1, for example, taken directly from a stack or, as shown in EP 0 666 186 Al, Fig. 5 or WO 99/06285, Fig. 1, separated from a band or strip and kept ready to be picked up or transferred immediately.
This band can be a supporting band, to which the supplementary products 2 adhere and are detached therefrom during the conveying operation. However, the strip or the band can also form the basis of the supplementary products 2, which are cut off from the strip and provided with an adhesive 3, if the latter is not already present.
In the preferable configurations of the invention shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, supplementary products 2 are gripped at the pick-up point Al, if necessary at a further pick-up point Al', are aligned vertically so as to trail (see Fig. 1) or lead (see Fig. 2) during their transport to the discharge point A2 by the holding element 201; 202; .... ; 20n, are guided between the printed products 9 and joined to a printed product 9m at the discharge point A2.
The operation of discharging a supplementary product 2 onto a printed product 9m by means of a holding element 2 0n; 20n-1 leading and trailing and carrying the supplementary product according to Fig. 1 will be described in more detail below.

As shown in Figs. 3a - 3d, the holding element 20n-1 provided with the supplementary product 2 is guided from the rear against the trailing side 92 of the printed product 9m, while the leading holding element 20n is guided with a supporting element 202 against the leading side 91 of the printed product 9m, until the supplementary product 2 with the adhesive layer 3 applied to it is pressed firmly against the printed product 9m supported by the leading holding element 20n (see Fig. 3c). As Fig. 3d shows, the printed product 9m provided with the supplementary product 2 is subsequently released again. The holding element 20n_1 is guided back against the leading side 91 of the next printed product 9m+1, to whose trailing side 92 a supplementary product 2 is then applied by means of the next trailing holding element 20n_2.
Each of the holding elements 201; 202; ....; 20õ therefore has a dual function. During one revolution about the axis x, a holding element 20n-1 transports a supplementary product 2 from the pick-up point to the discharge point Al; A2 and discharges it onto a printed product 9m. In addition, at the discharge point A2, an adjacent printed product 9m+i or 9m_1 is supported in order that a supplementary product 2 can be applied to it by means of a leading or trailing holding element 20n; 20n-2. In this case, the supporting function can be carried out after the discharge of the supplementary product 2 (see Fig. 1) or before the discharge of the supplementary product 2 (see Fig. 2).

While in Fig. 1 the supplemeritary products 2 are fixed to the trailing side 92 of the printed products 9, in Fig. 2 they are fixed to the leading side 91 of the printed products 9. Each holding element 201; 202; ...;
20n is therefore rotated in F'ig. 2, after picking up a supplementary product 2, about the axis yl; y2; .... ; yõ
in such a way that the supplementary product 2 trails the holding element 201; 202; ....; 20,, at the discharge point A2, and, like the printed products 9, is aligned at least approximately vertically.

The function of the elements belonging to the apparatus which provide the movement (rotation about the second axis y and inclination about a third axis z) of the holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20n, which are illustrated in a detail in Fig. 2, will be explained in more detail below with reference to Fig. 6.

From Fig. 4, it can be seen that, by means of the apparatus according to the invention, supplementary products 2 can also be fixed to printed products 9 which have a number of limbs 93, 94. If the limbs 93, 94 are open, supplementary products 2 can also be fixed to their inner sides 932, 941 in the manner described above. Fig. 4 shows the holding elements 20n, 20n_1 of the apparatus 1.0 during the joining of a supplementary product 2 to the leading side 941 of a trailing limb 94 of a printed product 9. Here, it can be seen that the supporting function is provided before the discharge of the supplementary product 2.

Fig. 5 shows the holding elements 20,,, 20n_1 of the apparatus 10 during the joining of a supplementary product 2 to the trailing side 932 of a leading limb 93 of a printed product 9, which has been opened upstream by means, for example, of measures disclosed by the laid-open publication EP 0 564 812 Al.

Fig. 6 shows the apparatus 10 according to the invention in a preferable configuration, with a holding element 201 which is firmly connected to a shaft 21 that can be rotated about the second axis yl. The shaft 21 is rotatably mounted at both ends in levers 22, 22' which, by mearis of shafts 23, 23' aligned along a third axis zl, are rotatably connected to carrying elements 25, 25', which are fixed by means of flanged hubs 27, 27' to a drive shaft 11 aligned along the first axis x.

As illustrated in a detail in Fig. 6, the lever 22 is provided with a wheel 26 which is spaced apart from the third axis zl and which, during the rotation of the carrying element 25 about the first axis x, which rotation is preferably carried out at a constant angular speed, is guided on a third path B3, which is machined into a non-rotating slotted guide 40 aligned parallel to the carrying element 25, as a guide groove 41.

The distance of the third path B3 from the first axis x runs as a furiction of the angle of rotation about the first axis x such that, in particular at the pick-up point and the discharge point Al; A2, the pivoting or inclination of the lever 22 needed to pick up or discharge the supplementary products 2 is achieved.

In addition, in the preferred configuration, the shaft 21 is provided at both ends with a drive wheel 31; 31', which is connected via a first drive belt 32; 32' to a coupling wheel 33; 33' which is aligned at least approximately coaxially with the third axis zl; zl' and which is connected via a second drive belt 34; 34' to a control wheel 35; 35' fixed to the carrying element 25;
25' . As shown in Fig. 2, the control wheel 35; 35' is connected via a control lever 36 to a wheel 37 which, during the rotation of the carrying element 25 about the first axis x, is guided on a fourth path B4, which is machined into the slotted guide 40 as a guide groove 42.
The distance of the fourth path B4 from the first axis x is selected as a function of the angle of rotation about the first axis x in such a way that, in particular at the pick-up point and the discharge point Al; A2, a rotation of the holding elements 201r 202, 20õ about the second axis yl; y2;....; yn, needed to pick up and discharge the supplementary products 2, is achieved.
Instead of the above described drive device with drive wheel 31; 31', coupling wheel 33; 33' and control wheel 35, 35', which are connected to one another by the first and second drive belts 32; 32' and 34; 34', respectively, any desired further suitable drive means, such as gearwheels, chains, etc., can be used for controlling the position of the shaft 21.

In order to grip and hold supplementary products 2, the holding elements 201r 202i...., 20n are provided with a suction head 201, which is connected, via an ejector 203 serving as a jet pump with a suction action, to a compressed-air device 15.

The compressed-air device 15 comprises a rotary valve 152 which is seated on the shaft 11, whose rotor is in each case corinected via a lirie 153 to an ejector 203 and which, by means of a bearing, is rotatably mounted in a stator connected to a compressed-air line 151 such that an air duct for each holding element 201; 202; ...;
20n is formed in the rotary valve 152. The air pressure (vacuum) within the suction element 201 is controlled on the basis of the position of the holding elements 201r 202,...., 20n, so that at the pick-up point Al a supplementary product 2 can be picked up by suction and, after being transported, can be released again at the discharge point A2. Instead of the above described compressed-air device 15, by means of which the necessary suction action is produced by increasing the flow velocity in the ejectors 203, a negative pressure system can also be used, by means of which the air is sucked out of the ducts in the suction head 201 as required.

By means of the apparatus according to the invention, the supplementary products 2 can be applied to the printed products 9 at any desired point. For this purpose, the holding elements 201, 202, .... , 20n are fixed to the associated shafts 21 at appropriately selected positions. In additi_on, two or more holding elements 201, 202, .... , 20n can be arranged on each shaft 21. As Fig. 2 shows, in addition a number of pick-up points Al, Al' can be provided, at which supplementary products 2 can be accepted f:rom first conveyors 1, 1' arranged behind one another or beside one another. As indicated in the drawing of Fig. 6, the holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20n are aligned on the shaft 21 in accordance with the position of the first conveyors 1, 11.

The holding members 201r 202, .... , 20n can preferably be controlled individually or in groups in such a way that supplementary products 2 can optionally be accepted from a first conveyor 1, 1' or from a stack at the first or a further pick-up point Al, Al'.

The shafts 21 provided with the holding elements 201, 202, .... , 20õ are, as described above, preferably held at both ends by carrying elements 25, 25' and levers 22, 22', and controlled by means of slotted guides 40, 40' and drive means, for example the belt drive 30, 30' shown in Fig. 6. However, the provision of holding means and/or control means on only one side is also possible.

Although the holding elements 201, 202, .... , 20n are preferably provided with suction heads, the use of gripping tools, such as clamps, is also possible. The number of holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20n and shafts 21 is preferably selected such that a smooth transfer of the supplementary products 2 at the pick-up and the discharge poirlts Al, A2 can take place.

In the preferred configurations of the invention shown in Fig. 1 - Fig. 6, the holding elements 201, 202, 20n have a dual function, being provided to hold a supplementary product 2 and to support a printed product 9. Also possible is the use of holding and supporting elements which are provided alternately in the apparatus and which, because of the reduced functionality, can be controlled more simply, so that their movement relative to the printed products 9 can also be effected with other means. The holding members 201r 202, .... ., 20n shown, for example, in Fig. 1 are in this case equipped alternately with only suction heads 201 or supporting elements 202.

If other means are provided to move the suction heads 201 and supporting elements 202, it may be possible to dispense with the rotation about the second and/or third axis y; z. The deflection of the suction heads 201 and supporting elements 202 can then, for example, be carried out in another way, even pneumatically, mechanically, electrically or magnetically.

The course of the first and second paths B1; B2, on which the supplementary products 2 and the printed products 9 are transported preferably runs concentrically or coaxially with the axis x in the area of the discharge point A2, in order that the transfer can be made more easily and more precisely.

Although in the apparatus shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 6 the supplementary products 2 are inserted from below into the area of the printed products 9, insertion from the side or from above is likewise possible.

In addition, the supporting and holding elements can run on paths separated from each other. The movement on the first path Bl from the pick-up point Al to the discharge point A2 is of course needed only for the holding elements 201r 202, .... , 20n serving to transport the supplementary products 2. A reduced number of supporting elements can also be provided. At least one supporting element is needed, and in each case is provided on the side 91; 92 of the printed product 9 located opposite the holding element 201; 202; .... .; 20n carrying a supplementary product 2 to be discharged, in order to support said printed product 9.

Claims

1. A method of joining flat supplementary products provided with an adhesive to printed products, wherein supplementary products are gripped individually at at least one pick-up point by means of a number of holding elements which are driven on a circulating path around a first axis, and, after an appropriate rotation about the first axis, are joined to at least one of the printed products at a discharge point, wherein the individually gripped supplementary products, as they are transported from the at least one pick-up point to the discharge point, are guided into an area of the printed products, which are conveyed in a suspended manner and on a second path at least approximately tangentially to the circulating path, after which, at the discharge point, the at least one of the printed products, opened if appropriate, is supported on an appropriate side by means of a supporting element and, by means of at least one of the holding elements arranged on an opposite side of the at least one of the printed products to the supporting element, is joined to at least one of the supplementary products at an envisaged point.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one of the printed products is supported by the supporting element, which is guided on the circulating path, and at least one of the holding elements acting as the supporting element.

3. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 or 2, wherein, during the transfer between the pick-up point and the discharge point, the holding elements are mounted such that they can rotate about a second axis running at least approximately parallel to the first axis, and are rotated about the second axis into a position suitable for at least one of pick-up and discharge.

4. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the at least one of the supplementary products is moved by the respective at least one of the holding elements around the first axis by means of a carrying element arranged on a shaft and, by means of a lever that is pivotably connected to the carrying element, is inclined one of forward and backward, in a direction of circulation, about a third axis aligned parallel to the first axis, in order to join it to the at least one of the printed products at the discharge point.

5. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the supplementary products are picked up by suction at the at least one pick-up point and released again at the discharge point by a suction head of each holding element, which suction head is connected to one of a vacuum device and a compressed-air device via an ejector serving as a jet pump with a suction action.

6. The method as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the printed products, which are conveyed tangentially along the second path are aligned at least approximately transversely with respect to the direction of circulation of the holding elements.

7. The method as claimed in claim 6, wherein the printed products are conveyed tangentially along the second path one of longitudinally and transversely with respect to the first path.

8. An apparatus for implementing the method as claimed in claim 1, having a number of holding elements which are driven on a circulating path around a first axis, by means of which flat supplementary products provided with an adhesive can be gripped individually at at least one pick-up point and, after an appropriate rotation about the first axis, can be joined to at least one of printed products at a discharge point, wherein, as they are transported from the at least one pick-up point to the discharge point, the holding elements, which are mounted such that they can rotate about a second axis running at least approximately parallel to the first axis, can be guided into the area of the printed products, which are conveyed in a suspended manner and on a second path at least approximately tangentially to the circulating path, and wherein, at the discharge point, the at least one of the printed products, opened if appropriate, is supported on an appropriate side by means of a supporting element and, by means of at least one of the holding elements arranged on an opposite side of the at least one of the printed products to the supporting element, can be joined to at least one of the supplementary products at an envisaged point.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the supporting element is guided on the circulating path.

10. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 or 9, wherein the at least one of the holding elements acts as the supporting element.

11. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein each of the holding elements is connected to a shaft which is aligned along the second axis and is rotatably mounted in a lever to a carrying element driven by a drive shaft aligned along the first axis.

12. The apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the lever is fixed, such that it can be pivoted about a third axis aligned parallel to the first axis.

13. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 12, wherein the lever is provided with a wheel which is spaced apart from the third axis and, during a rotation of the carrying element, is guided around the first axis on a third path, which is machined into a slotted guide.

14. The apparatus as claimed in claim 13 wherein the third path is machined into a slotted guide as a guide groove.

15. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 or 14, wherein a distance of the third path from the first axis is selected as a function of the angle of rotation, on the basis of a rotation of the carrying element about the first axis, in such a way that at the at least one pick-up point and discharge point, the pivoting of the lever needed to pick up and discharge the supplementary products is achieved.

16. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the shaft is connected by form-fitting drive means to a guide element, which, during the rotation of the carrying element, is guided around the first axis on a fourth path, which is machined into the slotted guide.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the guide element is a wheel.

18. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 16 or 17 wherein the fourth path is machined into the slotted guide as a guide groove.

19. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 18, wherein the shaft is provided with a drive wheel, which is connected via a first drive belt to a coupling wheel which is aligned at least approximately coaxially with the third axis, and which is connected via a second drive belt to a control wheel which is fixed to the carrying element and which is connected via a control lever to the wheel.

20. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 16 to 19, wherein a distance of the fourth path from the first axis is selected on the basis of the rotation of the carrying element about the first axis in such a way that at the at least one pick-up point and discharge point, a rotation of the holding elements about the second axis, needed to pick up and discharge the supplementary products, is achieved.

21. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 20, wherein each holding element has a suction head which serves to pick up the supplementary products and is connected to one of a vacuum device and a compressed-air device via an ejector serving as a jet pump with a suction action.

22. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 21, wherein the holding elements can be fixed on the associated shafts at optionally defined positions.

23. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 22 wherein at least two holding elements are arranged on at least one shaft.

24. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 23, wherein the holding elements can be controlled one of individually and in groups in such a way that the supplementary products can be accepted at one of a first and a further pick-up point.

25. The apparatus as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 24, wherein the shafts are held at both ends by the carrying elements and at least two levers and are controlled by means of at least two slotted guides and the drive means.